Raja Chinna Roja(1989)
Raja Chinna Roja is a 1989 Indian Tamil-language children's film directed by S. P. Muthuraman and produced by AVM Productions. The film stars Rajinikanth as Raja, an aspiring actor, alongside Raghuvaran as the antagonist and Gautami as the love interest. The story follows Raja as he moves from his village to Chennai to pursue an acting career, but instead ends up caring for five unruly children while uncovering a drug smuggling scheme. It was the first Indian film to combine live-action footage with hand-drawn animation, featuring a song sequence with over 84,000 hand-drawn frames by animator Ram Mohan. The film was a commercial success, running for 175 days in theaters, and won the Cinema Express Award for Best Story Writer. It was released on 20 July 1989.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Disney+ Hotstar
- Theatrical Release
- 20 July 1989
- Director
- S. P. Muthuraman
- Language
- Tamil
- Runtime
- 2h 30m
- Rating
- 5.1/10
Storyline
A young village dreamer named Raja arrives in Chennai with one goal: to become a movie star. But when he meets his childhood friend Bhaskar, he is tricked into managing a household of five troubled children. As Raja wins the children's hearts, he discovers Bhaskar is a drug dealer. Raja must protect the children and bring the villain to justice before his own dream slips away.
“A king with a heart of a rose.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Raja Chinna Roja
Cast reunions in this film: Rajinikanth & Ilayaraja (58 films together), Ilayaraja & S. P. Muthuraman (43 films together), Ilayaraja & V. K. Ramasamy (42 films together), Chinni Jayanth & Ilayaraja (25 films together), Ilayaraja & S. S. Chandran (24 films together), and Rajinikanth & S. P. Muthuraman (23 films together).
Trivia
- The film's title is a nod to the popular 1970s Tamil film 'Raja Chinna Roja', but it is not a remake.
- Director S. P. Muthuraman and actor Prabhu had previously collaborated on many successful films in the 1980s.
- The movie was released during a period when Prabhu was often cast in dual roles or as a village boy in city settings.
- It features comedy scenes with actors like Goundamani and Senthil, who were a popular duo in Tamil cinema then.
- The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, who was the most sought-after music director in Tamil films at the time.
- The film's plot of a village newcomer facing city deception was a common theme in late 1980s Tamil cinema.
- Despite starring popular actors, the movie did not achieve major box office success compared to other Prabhu films of the era.